Search form

Search form

Mobile robots and Wi-Fi connectivity might lead the way to the future of automated buildings. Robots with Local Positioning Systems can scan the walls and contents of buildings to create raster scans that resemble floor plans. This could help make building information modeling much easier for existing buildings. Kiosk robots can serve as building guides, as well as monitor environmental readings of buildings.

Related Summaries

Structural engineers working on the Vancouver Convention Centre used building information modeling to design the project in 3-D. BIM allowed engineers to estimate the amount of steel needed within 5% of the final built configuration. The 1.4 million-square-foot building was constructed over a marine deck and includes environmental features such as a green roof.

Removing dams has become a bigger business for engineers than installing dams over the past three decades. Fish passage and other issues now take precedence over hydroelectric power and the recreational uses of dams in the U.S., experts say. According to a report by the American Society of Civil Engineers, 3,300 of the nation's dams are "unsafe," and should be repaired or demolished.

Many chief executive officers admit to using the economic crisis to make the cuts too painful to contemplate in times of plenty. But a lot of companies already have laid off their low performers. Now what? Cut pay or hours instead of jobs? Maybe, but then you risk demoralizing everyone. "We have to decide who we want on the bus and to motivate them as much as possible," one major U.S. retail boss says.

The cost to repair the nation's aging bridges and roads soared to $2.2 trillion this year, according to a recent American Society of Civil Engineers report. However, some experts say a new wireless sensor technology could alert officials before failures occur and lower the cost of repairs. The sensors, embedded in water-supply systems, bridges and dams, would provide real-time feedback by continuously monitoring parts that keep infrastructure intact. A prototype for use in gas pipes is expected next year. Similar sensors in smart buildings could save billions each year.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., expects the Senate to increase the price tag for the economic-stimulus package. "I think we're going to add, frankly, to that ability to get money into the economy and put people to work immediately," Kerry said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. The House approved an $819 billion stimulus package, while a Senate version is already nearing $900 billion.